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Working collectively towards a prosperous, unified Guyana Aug 14, 2024 Letters Dear Editor, As His Excellency Dr. Irfaan Ali and Prime Minister the Honorable Brigadier Mark Phillips mark four years in office, it is time to reflect and highlight on the progress the country has made since the chaotic and frantic 2020 General and Regional Elections. During those five disorderly months, the nation was in panic, as the PPPC faced several challenges, not knowing the results of the March 2 elections or what the future holds. Not only was the PPPC declared the winner by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), but democracy also triumphed on August 2, 2020. With elections expected in late 2025, everyone must be prepared to protect our cherished democracy, which could have been lost had it not been for steadfast efforts made by the PPPC to combat the barefaced rigging engaged in by the coalition government. Since being sworn-in as respective President and Prime Minister, the list of achievements under the Ali-Phillips leadership has been extensive and across-the-board. Among those achievements are: successful navigation of the COVID-19 pandemic, which wreaked havoc on the nation for almost two years; the major floods that nearly crippled the agriculture industry, especially rice and cash crops; and last, but not least, inflation and its impact on the people, especially on the middle and lower classes. While Guyana is not the only country in the world that has been afflicted by inflation, which is a measure of the cost-of-living, President Dr. Ali and his government, including PM Brigadier Mark Phillips and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, have offered relief to thousands of households through fiscal grants and tax relief, and have pledged further assistance. As Guyanese, we are blessed and should be extremely proud to have such outstanding, creative, visionary and devoted leaders with superb administrative and policy-making skills; who, in four years, have inspired our youths, transformed Guyana, and moved it from the status of an underdeveloped nation to that of a developed country. To fulfill some of his grand policies aimed at regional food security in the Caribbean by 2025, the Head of State has turned around the agriculture sector with massive crop diversification, the infusion of Government funds and technology, the rebuilding of the Rose Hall Sugar Factory which was gutted by the Granger administration, and the modernization of the outdated infrastructure landscape after years of neglect. The PPPC government has distributed more than 35,000 house lots and created 45,000 jobs especially for youths, who are 65 percent of the population. Not to mention the careful development of the oil and gas sector by Government, despite the lopsided contract signed by the Granger administration. In the same period, President Dr. Ali has increased salaries for public servants, old age pensions have been increased for the more than 60,000 senior citizens, and public assistance and “Because We Care” cash grant for school-aged children have been increased significantly. His Excellency has embarked on a set of broad-ranging policies to reduce poverty, create wealth, and make Guyana the most prosperous nation in the hemisphere. Government has also invested large sums of money in health care, social services, and education with the construction of new schools in several regions and with the ultimate goal of making post-secondary education free at the University of Guyana by 2025. These initiatives by our leaders clearly underscore the dedication, commitment and determination of President Dr. Ali, Prime Minister Phillips and Vice President Jagdeo to sustainable and human development and the preservation of the environment. Their resolve to solve the nation’s problems, develop the country, and improve the lives of the poor is unfaltering, and should instill optimism and confidence among all Guyanese at home and in the diaspora about our country’s economic future. Everyone, regardless of their status, political affiliation or ethnicity, should work collectively towards a prosperous and unified Guyana. Sincerely, Dr. Asquith Rose Related Similar Articles

A perfect constitution with corrupt, uncaring men in charge, will lead to frustration Aug 14, 2024 Letters Dear Editor, I read the well presented letter by my friend and patriot Eric Phillips of ACDA.  In his erudite letter, he makes a strong case for Constitutional Reform. The argument for constitutional reform has been supported by my Party, the People’s National Congress and others. Here, I publicly disagree with the arguments, logical as it may appear. In one paragraph of his letter, Eric Phillips and others make a case for public education. I agree such education must involve intense work by all of our religious and social organisations. Such work is aimed to produce a generation of Guyanese with a sense of morality. Some years ago, we called for a moral and spiritual revival. The key to unlock the door to harmony and progress. Briefly, my position is that we can spend vast sums of money and time to retool, revamp or whatever remains of a Constitution that reads and sounds good. But so long as those with the authority to interpret a Constitution and manage the Affairs of State are themselves not corrupt, not power drunk and not selfish – they are wasting time and money. I can fill pages with examples Recall how the PPP criticised what they called the Burnham Constitution of the 1980s, but once in office, sheltered behind it. In our Mother country – England, we had a King who believed in the Divine Right of Kings, ignoring Parliament and tradition. Nearer home, you had the mighty United States of America caught up in a civil war ostensibly to keep black Americans, the Descendants of Slaves equally. From the pulpit to congress. They recited “behold these rights to be self-evident” that all men are created equal, etc Yet, generations later, it took the civil rights movement to make this partially a reality. The point is, dear Aubrey, Dear Eric and others, we see it in Guyana everyday, where the rules, customs and the constitution are torn asunder. I can expand on this a bit later, but for now, as I postulated four decades ago, we need, and I emphasise we, need a moral and spiritual revival to produce a meaningful change, a regime of decency, justice and respect for each other. My friends, a perfect constitution with corrupt, uncaring men in charge, will lead to frustration Sincerely, Hamilton Green Elder Related Similar Articles

Eric Phillips is known for providing yeoman service to the African community, but that does not license him to make egregious and outrageous statements Aug 14, 2024 Letters Dear Editor, At the recent Emancipation Symposium, Eric Phillips, head of the Guyana Reparations Committee, and Executive Member of the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) stated that Africans are in a state of “total crisis” and “benign neglect” and that African political leaders should be “educated about our history and about an eye for an eye,” instead of “turning the other cheek.” Eric is known for providing yeoman service to the African community, but that does not license him to make egregious and outrageous statements. Eric Phillips and the memory warriors are pushing the idea that it is the current state, and not just the previous colonial powers, which should provide reparations to Africans. Certainly, the Europeans are obligated to compensate descendants of formerly enslaved people for this historical wrong to humanity. However, equating the post independent Guyanese state with the colonial state, and demanding reparations from the current state, instead of equity, amounts to double dipping and political bullyism. In the same speech, he makes the outrageous claim that “Indians and their acolytes own 97 per cent of economy.” He then drew reference to the British Guiana Colonization Scheme of 1919 as evidence for the origin of this grand design. The implication is clear. He told his unsuspecting audience in Buxton that Britain was prepared to have British Guiana become an Indian Colony. He had brought this issue up before, and on December 16, 2019 (Stabroek News), I responded to his fabrications: “Eric extracted a singular event from the annals of Guyana’s history and deduced that a little-known British Guiana Colonization Scheme has influenced many [Indian] attitudes in today’s Guyana. There are two incontrovertible facts about the so-called ‘colonization’ scheme.  One, this scheme was part of a larger immigration plan initially supported by the planter class and some members of the British Guiana East Indian Association (BGEIA).  The plan to ‘colonize’ Guiana on behalf of India was not a plan proposed by Britain or India. Two, Britain never made any proposal “gifting” the colony of British Guiana to India (a colony Britain also controlled).  These are conjectures, easily refuted.” “… the existing literature on the Indian girmitiyas (indentured laborers) to British Guiana, confirms that this “colonization” plan, part of an immigration proposal, did not materialize and did not receive serious consideration by Great Britain or British India.” “W. Hewley Wharton (first Indian doctor) became the Secretary and JA Luckhoo (first Indian Guyanese legislator) was elected President of the BGEIA in 1919. Luckhoo and his colleagues initiated the scheme in an effort to forge closer ties with India.  These prominent Christian British-trained citizens could hardly be considered ‘extremists’. They were loyal British subjects. The immigration plan was seized upon by the planter class who viewed the scheme as an opportunity to address their plantation labour shortage, following the abolition of indentureship, at a time when the price of sugar was depressed. Attorney-General JJ Nunan, on December 5, 1919, in a meeting with the Secretary to the Government of India, explained that the plan was based upon the free immigration of Indian agricultural families to the Colony. India, in response, offered to send a number of deputations to investigate labour conditions in the Colony. Their findings were recorded in the Pillai-Tewary report of 1924, and the Kunwar Maharaj Singh report of 1925. Neither report considered the issue of ‘colonization’, but they addressed pressing issues like land settlement, repatriation, the political and economic status of Indians, the cultural needs of Hindus and Muslims and permanent Indian settlement.” “The BGEIA wanted to secure ethnic balance and fair representation in government (goals they repeated at the 1938 centenary celebrations). The Negro Progress Convention (co-founded in 1921 by MEF Fredericks, a Buxtonian lawyer, and Theodore Nichols, a physician) called for the introduction of a similar migration ‘scheme’ to introduce Africans from West Africa and other parts of the West Indies into British Guiana. In December 1923, the Secretary of the NPC, EP Bruyning made it known that the proposed BGEIA immigration scheme was a ‘distinct act of discrimination’ against Africans who were entitled to ‘first consideration’.  Besides the NPC, Nathaniel Critchlow (also a founding member of the NPC), and his BGLU opposed the immigration scheme. Others in the BGEIA did too, but for different reasons. Francis Kawall (President of the BGEIA in 1923-24) argued that newly arrived Indian immigrants would make it difficult to bargain successfully for living wages. He suggested they concentrate on improving the living conditions of Indians already in Guiana. The immigration scheme was effectively dead by 1924-1925.” The Colonization Scheme always included the recruitment of immigrants under new conditions, and as Dwarka Nath has shown, more West Indians than Indians, were admitted into Guyana at the end of Indian indenture. Sincerely, Baytoram Ramharack Related Similar Articles

THE PARIS OLYMPICS Aug 14, 2024 Letters, Sports Dear Editor, Following the spectacular opening ceremony of the XXXIII Olympic Games in Paris, France, home of the baguette and croissant, I turned my attention temporarily away from following the depressing and sensational news beamed to us through international TV news channels’ with reports on the Israeli-Gaza and Russia/Ukraine wars as well as the US election campaign. Unavoidably, I kept a watchful eye on developments on the domestic political front in Guyana. At the opening ceremony, ‘L’hymne à l’amour” ‘A Tribute To Love’ by the late French singer Edith Piaf and beautifully sung by Celine Dion at the Eiffel Tower touched the hearts of many beyond the shores of France and borders of the Pyrenees. The three iconic symbols of the games was a combination of the gold medal, the Olympic flame, and Marianne that brought together those values, while the Phryge, the little red cap reflected the French Republic, its history and freedom, a touch that made the Olympic Games truly special, save and except that Russia was banned but Ukraine allowed and Palestine being absent while Israel was present. Ironically, while the wars were raging and protests taking place in Tel Aviv, in major cities in the UK; in Caracas, Bangladesh and Lagos, thousands were cheering at the games in Paris. And one week after the opening of the games, the world woke up to the news that Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader and lead negotiator of Hamas along with a bodyguard were assassinated in Tehran. Hanieh was in Iran to attend the swearing-in of the newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Such is the paradoxical nature of humanity. A demonstration of the intricacies and complexities of our existence through diametrically opposed, if not surreal and contradictory circumstances of life under conditions of war and peace. Watching the games was exhilarating, uplifting and personally satisfying, the events were addictive while they lasted. With its motto, ‘Games Wide Open,’ 206 nations, including 10,714 athletes including Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) and Refugee Olympic (EOR) teams competed in the 329 events in 32 sports (48 disciplines) assisted by 45K volunteers. From national championships in their respective countries to the Olympics, we saw dreams come true, stadiums packed with people overcome with emotion, tears of joy, disappointment and sadness as the results of breath taking track and field events, races of all kinds, electrifying basketball,volleyball and tennis events of sorts, swimming and aquatic sports unfolded. The display of skills was par excellence! In the stadiums were parents, relatives and friends as well as fans who travelled all the way to Paris to support the athletes. The camaraderie and high degree of sportsmanship amongst the competitors was truly amazing. Physical, health issues and female eligibility in boxing spurred renewed controversy over gender in sports. The gender dispute saw the Italian boxer Angela Carini pulling out from competing against Algerian Imane Khelif over her alleged failure of a gender eligibility test claiming it was “not a fight amongst equals.” Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting also got ensnared unfortunately in the dispute over failure of an eligibility test. Regrettably, this controversy will prevail long after Paris. In my view, the meaning of fairness in sport is philosophical in nature, and as such cannot be resolved by science or medicine alone. Reports indicate that Chinese athletes and aquatic competitors were subjected to three to four times more doping/drug tests than any other team of athletes from other countries contesting at the games. Continued failure to address this matter, has resulted in the International Olympic and the World Athletic Doping Association Committee’s roles being called into question. Of interest, was the role played by the judges versus the expert and knowledgeable commentators. While judges were awarding scores based on points, the commentators were ‘awarding’ points based on their knowledge and experience. Occasionally, the amount of time judges took to post scores, created a sense of anxiety amongst contestants and spectators alike. Some commentators appeared biased against gymnasts and swimmers from China, DPRK and Cuba pointing to flaws in execution while covering flaws of athletes from developed countries. That aside, humorous moments were shared by the commentators. But while strength, endurance and being physically fit proved to be assets for the sportsmen and women, height in the case of Marchand and Ledecky, their long arms and broad shoulders mattered a lot. Long legs of athletes in track and field events and height in basket ball and volley ball mattered too. Above all, mental preparation proved to be a determining factor for winning. For the first time in history, the Paris 2024 Olympics, including the Paralympic Games (Aug. 28– Sept.8, 2024) will see an equal number of men and women competing. This 50:50 representation of athletes makes the Games the first to reach gender equality. The women’s participation in the games was really astonishing. It was fascinating to see the four fastest American women swimmers in the world; the women’s beach volleyball competition was exciting as well as the women’s rowing competition where the Romanians won gold yet the commentators remarked that the Romanian women had weak legs because they had participated in other competitions. Caribbean athletes made international headlines as they shone like the Eiffel in Paris. Julien Alfred of St. Lucia made history, wining gold in the Women’s 100M and silver in the 200 metres race. Thea LaFond of Grenada won gold in the women’s triple jump while Shanieka Ricketts of Jamaica won silver. Rajindra Campbell of Jamaica won bronze in the men’s shot put; and Lindon Victor of Grenada won gold in the men’s decathlon. Cuba won gold, silver and bronze. Because of his casual dress and hand-in-pocket cool looking style, in the air pistol event, Turkish shooter, Yusuf Dikec’s shot went viral on social media around the world. Sweden’s Duplantis win of gold in pole vaulting was truly amazing and Bahrain’s first gold ever won the heart of many. But it was because of the location of the American Lyles’ torso that stunned the world apart from winning by 0.005 seconds that put him in first place after Thompson of Jamaica to win gold. Having won gold in the 100 meter race, Lyles attempted to accomplish the incredible feat called the “double sprint” or 200 meter final which has only been achieved by nine sprinters in Olympic history. But Lyles ultimately came up short, winning the bronze, an incredibly impressive feat. He “collapsed” to the ground and accepted the assistance of a wheelchair to exit the arena. After the race, he claimed he was stricken with Covid-19.  Other amazing events that sent spectators ‘rocking’ and viewers glued to their TV’s were the Butterfly and back stroke swimming competitions, the table tennis doubles, the women’s volleyball competition with Brazil and Canada entering into a war or words but when John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ was heard in the background the disagreement evaporated, Also amazing were the basketball competitions, cycling, synchronized diving, gymnastics, the women’s mountain bike race, women’s judo competition, women’s football, surfing, skate boarding, the uneven bars, track and field championships and men on the rings. All saw stiff competition among the athletes. In diving China swept all 8 golds in diving events. And winning gold, plus were Algeria, Botswana, Bahrain, Ethiopia, Kenya, and New Zealand and South Africa, Norway and Sweden. According to the chairman of the French organizing committee there were more marriage proposals ever during the games. The family and personal background profiles of the gymnasts, and athletes who, from humble beginnings arrived in Paris to compete in the various disciplines, must have been most inspiring especially for youngsters and fans back home. The games involved human beings who wanted to have a chance to fulfil their potential as athletes and to compete with the bodies they were born with. Notwithstanding its geographic size, the land of many waters, a much larger population, except for Jamaica and Trinidad andTobago. Guyana now has more financial resources, a long ago established ministry dedicated to promoting sport, and modern sports facilities. But alas, Guyana with the exception of Jamaica, was put to shame by Grenada, St. Lucia and Dominica all of whom won gold or bronze medals at the Olympic Games. It appears that those countries chose carefully which of the 329 games they would compete in and their selections paid off handsomely. Guyana has four years to prepare for the next games in Los Angeles, USA, it must chose carefully and in consultation with the relevant authorities decide in which sport it has greater potential for a medal. By the end of the games the top five countries winning gold, silver and bronze were the US with 126, China 91, Great Britain, 65 France 64 and Australia 53. Olympics isn’t just about having raw talent and good training but also about national sports bodies planning carefully ahead of time and being competent in navigating the global sports world. Rigorous local and overseas training should begin in earnest with the provision of financial resources necessary. Andy Murray’s swansong, “I never liked tennis anyway” captured succinctly what happens in sport reflects and re-articulates what happens outside sport. For the first time in decades, we saw a world, currently engulfed in chaos and wars, engage in global competition in an atmosphere of peace, but only in sports. Yours faithfully, Clement J. Rohee Related Similar Articles

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